Start to Spring Break

Spring Break is off to an exhausting but fun start! Christopher began our Spring Break off on Friday evening with a baseball tournament that lasted until Sunday. There were 20 teams from Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi playing in the tournament. We came out in 3rd place with two Texas teams battling it out for first. The team that eliminated us from the tournament won the championship. They were a team out of Houston and they were really good! After the tournament Christopher's team moved up to 1st in the state of Louisiana and 25th in the country.

On Saturday morning, Christopher pitched a shut out with only 60 pitches and gave up only 2 hits. I was exhausted after that game watching him pitch. Then Andrew pitched on Monday. I again felt the nerves while he pitched too! I am really struggling with the nerves when my boys pitch. I have not been very good at just giving it to God. At this age you never know how they are going to be when they walk out on the mound. Are they going to be on or off that day??? And Andrew's baseball has become so serious. He was in front of a home crowd with a varsity coach there watching. Andrew did a great job! And God and I were definitely talking during every pitch. I filled my head with the verse Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." I have to fill my head with a verse instead of worry! Andrew pitched great and they won 5-1!

Here are my boys this weekend making me nervous!

Kevin had a basketball game in the middle of the baseball weekend. I rushed him to his game between games on Saturday. They did not win their game but they sure looked cute :)

On Friday after Christopher's baseball game, we all got in bed and ready for a good night sleep before Christopher's 8am Saturday game. However, Daniel goes to put the dogs up and finds water all over our kitchen floor. Our refrigerator/freezer had gone out. We quickly moved everything to our old refrigerator/freezer and saved a few items. Daniel didn't have time to look at it over the weekend between baseball and work. So on Monday before Andrew's game and his day off, Daniel did a lot of research and figured out what was wrong with our refrigerator. He went and bought a new mother board for it and changed it out! Such a handy guy!!! I have to put a side note in here that he had just repaired our dryer a few weeks before. He took the dryer apart and found a broken piece and replaced it. He saved us tons of money by repairing the two appliances himself. Here are a couple of pictures of him repairing the refrigerator/freezer.

The refrigerator/freezer works like new now and is very clean!

Today has been a little bit more slow pace. The boys have been outside playing with neighbors and Andrew has been helping my parents catch up on their yard and some projects. He has been so busy with baseball that we haven't seen much of Andrew these days. He actually has a break from baseball today. He will then have practice on Wednesday and Thursday. Daniel is at work and I am catching up on housework. All in all it has been a good start to our Spring Break just a little exhausting.

Power of Music

Life can sometimes seem unfair and really hard. Trying to raise three boys to live a life to glorify God can be hard in this ungodly world. Just as Daniel and I try to tell the boys one of God's truths, life hits them. We have been disappointed by some actions and words from their friends but also some adults in their lives. We are just surprised by some things people do. But we have witnessed our boys taking the high road and living for God and not the acceptance of others. I am so proud of them! I was not always that kind of teenager. I loved God and tried to do right but some of the things my boys are doing humble me as a parent. They truly are letting God live in them.

 I witnessed Andrew being an encourager to a friend the other day. It was a friend that had not been so nice lately. Then the next day Andrew's friend, "Billy", had some events happen that brought "Billy's" spirit down. Andrew being the forgiver he is put his hurt feelings aside and told "Billy" to hold his head high and move on. He told him there was nothing he could do about it and he could learn from it. Hello!!! This is a 15 year old (almost 15) telling a friend (that he was currently mad at just the day before for hurting his feelings) to hold his head high when something had brought him down. Why is that so hard for us as adults to do? Why do we hold grudges and not willing to forgive and just love because that is what is right? Have you encouraged someone today that you are mad at or has not fit into your mold of being righteous. Leave the judging up to God and just simply love everyone for who they are. Stop judging!!!! OK that went a little off course but felt good to say :)

(I hope I made since about Andrew without giving names or situations away. I have to watch what I blog about Andrew because he is really becoming his own man and privacy is an issue. My other two have recently given me their opinions on my posting of pictures and comments about them. Even my 6 year old will get mad if he sees a picture that I didn't show him first. He will get pretty angry with me for posting a picture without his permission. But Andrew really has his limits for me on Facebook and blogging. I wouldn't want my children posting every detail of my life or every picture without my permission. It is a little personal when you think about it. So pictures and details of their lives come with their permission. But it does make it difficult to share some really awesome things going on in their lives. But I completely understand!)

I have watched my boys overcome some injustice done to them from people without a moral compass. It is just disappointing. But it has given Daniel and I opportunities to speak of God's promises for our life. Daniel and I have worked hard on stepping back and letting God work in their lives. We pray for God to show us where and when to step in. God knows best for our boys and He knows what their future holds. I have no clue what their future holds and what God wants them to do. But I am willing to help them become stronger and maturer along the journey. God has given us some great opportunities this year. Don't ever doubt that your children are watching how you handle diversity too. I am just so proud of the maturity my boys have shown lately. I am not bragging on my parenting at all!!!! It is all God given. The boys love God and have allowed him to lead them. Daniel and I are merely traffic controllers helping them along their journey.

 Tonight after a great family dinner, we heard a song on KLOVE for the first time. It spoke to all of us! Andrew quickly started looking on his phone for the name of the song and the artist. We now have the whole album on itunes and have been jamming tonight. What is so cool about this group's songs is that Andrew has been looking for some songs to listen to before his baseball games. He is a high school pitcher and has to get himself in game mode after school for a game. Baseball has been pretty stressful this year because it is the year they evaluate you to decide if you get to come back the next year. 28 freshman and not very many spots. You can't afford to make a mistake. Andrew is working hard! I am a nervous wreck when he plays ball. I know how much he wants it so I want it for him. He doesn't want this to be the end of baseball for him (which it doesn't appear to be the end at all!). I had to dig deep and remind myself that God is in control and whatever happens is for his own good. God has a plan Jeremiah 29:11. Andrew has been digging deep too. He fell in love with this song. We immediately put it on his iphone to have for his pregame music.

I love this group, Group 1 Crew, because their music speaks God's truth and has a beat that teenagers like. My heart smiles tonight as my boys have connected to some new worship music. I hope you connect with it too. This is the song "He Said" from Group 1 Crew's album Outta Space Love.  Pause the blog music so you can enjoy some Group 1 Crew.         

This is another song with a great message. And my boys LOVE Toby Mac that sings in this song with Group 1 Crew.

And since I am sharing some of my boys' favorite songs, here is another favorite that we jam to. Newsboys - God's Not Dead. The Robinson boys can get this song going!!! If you are ever beside us at a red light, you probably think we have lost our mind. But there is some worship going on up in my expedition :)
 

So glad to have this "teenage worship music" because they need something that they can connect with. And the music teenagers are expected to connect with these days are definitely sending out the wrong message. Thank you God for giving these musicians talent and thank you to the musicians for glorifying God and touching my boys' lives!